The Vampire Child
by aveave
Summary: Approximately twenty years ago Nikola Tesla, the vampire genius, created an experiment. He wanted to create himself a vampire son, but the child that should have been a vampire was human. He gave him up for adoption and he was named Xander Harris. But now Xander has found out about his adoption and he wants some answers. BtVS/Sanctuary crossover
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of BTVS or Sanctuary. They are the property of Joss and SyFy.

* * *

Approximately twenty years ago Nikola Tesla, the vampire genius, created an experiment. He wanted to create himself a vampire son that would be superior to humans. For that he used his own vampiric DNA and DNA he got from his long living friend Helen Magnus. Because Helen would never willingly participate in such experiment he had to steal her genetic material. If his experiment had succeeded, he wanted to create a new vampire race that would take over the world. However, the experiment failed. The child that should have been a vampire was completely human or so he thought. Nikola abandoned the experiment and after some thoughts he abandoned the child as well. He didn't really wanted to leave him, but with his life and his work, he couldn't raise a completely human child. His work endangered him a lot and a human child wouldn't be safe with him. So he left him in a public place where he knew that someone would find him.

The child was later adopted by a normal human family. His was named Alexander LaVelle "Xander" Harris and he grew up thinking he was a normal human. And he was, to some point. His childhood was spent in Sunnydale on the Hellmouth. The couple that adopted him, regretted the adoption after a few years, but knowing they couldn't do anything about it, they still raised him thinking he was their son. When he was younger, he was often terrorized by his adopted father Tony, who started drinking when Xander was very young. His adopted mother didn't defend him and so he was often hit by Tony. He had two best friends Willow and Jesse. He met Willow in kindergarten and when they were in primary school he often took refuge in her house, knowing that her parent weren't home a lot.

Until he was sixteen he didn't know anything about supernatural beings. He thought that Sunnydale was just a place with a lot of gangs, often high on PCP, and a lot of people, who didn't really know how to cook and were really clumsy, which often led to barbecue fork accidents. But then Buffy came to town and he and Willow found out about other creatures that roamed the Earth. Buffy was the Vampire slayer and Giles, the school librarian, was her watcher. After Jesse was turned into a vampire and staked by Xander's hand, the two friends started helping Buffy and Giles. Everything was normal or normal for them, until the summer after graduation, when everything changed.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of BTVS or Sanctuary. They are the property of Joss and SyFy.

* * *

The summer holidays of 1999 started normally. A week ago Xander and his friends had defeated the mayor, preventing him from eating the graduation class and destroying the world. Angel left that night to Los Angeles and a few days later Cordelia left too, chasing her dream about becoming an actress. But that was not all that changed that night, something else did too. Xander didn't know what, but something was different since then. At the beginning it was just a strange feeling and he thought that it was because of victory against the mayor. But the feeling didn't stop. On the contrary it began to get worse or maybe not worse but different. He noticed that he was becoming stronger.

He found out about his strength when he was attacked one night, while walking home. The vampire came from behind, but somehow he sensed it and turned around in time to stop him from biting him. The vampire than tried to overpower him, but Xander, without too much effort, staked him. Not knowing what was wrong with him or maybe not wrong, but different, because nothing was wrong with being stronger and staking a vampire, he decided to go ask Giles about it the next day.

* * *

It was early in the morning and Giles had just risen up. He was making himself some breakfast and a tea when he heard the doorbell. He was a little annoyed, after all it was just 8 am, but he went to open the door anyway.

Outside his door, stood a very sleepy Xander. He couldn't sleep all night, worrying about himself and his new-found powers. The door opened and annoying looking Giles stood before him. "Hi G-man" said Xander, while walking into Giles's apartment.

"Did you come here just to pester me or do you need something? And why are you so early? Don't teenagers usually sleep as late as possible during holidays?" grumbled Giles and closed the door. He followed Xander to the living room.

"You know G-man I would stop calling you that, but you just make it so funny with your complaints. And you should see the face you make when I don't call you Giles, it's hilarious. And to answer your second question I couldn't sleep. Anyway I have something I would like to discuss with you." answered Xander and sat on the chair.

"As you wish, but first I am going to finish preparing my breakfast and then we can talk. Would you like something to eat?" asked Giles on his way to the kitchen.

"No thanks! Lately I haven't been very hungry," called Xander. He decided to wait for Giles in the living room and was thinking how he would present his problem to the watcher.

* * *

"So, what do you want to talk about?" asked Giles. He set a cup of tea in front of Xander and another in front of himself and then sat in the chair.

"Ammm, I have been experiencing some strange things lately," mumbled Xander and looked at the wall, while playing with the cup before him.

"Strange how?" asked Giles and took a sip of his tea. "You will have to be more specific if you want me to help you."

"Since graduation I have been feeling strange. Than last night I staked a vampire without even trying. And I think I sensed it before it attacked me," elaborated Xander.

Giles thought for a few moments "I don't know what could be causing it. I will have to look into it. Have you come into contact with anything strange lately?"

Thinking Xander said "No, I don't think so. I think it might have something to do with mayor's ascension. That's when the strange feelings started."

"It might have something to do with that, but I don't know why it would have affected just you," said Giles and started cleaning his glasses "Unless…"

"Unless what?" asked Xander.

"The ascension was a big magical ceremony. Maybe you were exposed to it more than the others and that could have somehow affected you. Or maybe it is just that you are more receptible to magic and when the mayor ascended, the spell somehow affected you too. It might have caused something to change inside you. I will have to look into it. For now try to figure out if there are any other changes happening to you." suggested the watcher.

Xander said "Ok, but what do you mean other changes. Do you think I could be turning into something? Something not human?"

"I don't know. As I said I will have to look into it. Just pay attention if anything strange happens," elaborated Giles.

"Ok, I'll try," said Xander.

"Oh and something else. Your parents… did you noticed any changes in them to?" asked Giles.

"Not that I know off. But I don't actually spent so much time with them. Why?" wondered Xander.

Giles elaborated "If something is changing within you, than it could be changing in them to. After all they are your parents. You should watch out for any changes in them or ask them about it."

Xander answered "Ok, I'll see what I can find out."


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of BTVS or Sanctuary. They are the property of Joss and SyFy.

* * *

Outside of Giles place Xander decided to go see Willow. The walk didn't take long. She was already awake and when Xander came she let him in.

"How are you?" asked Xander.

"I am good, a little tired maybe. I have been practicing magic last night," answered Willow. For the last year, since she restored Angel's soul, Willow has been practicing magic under Giles's supervision. Now she was becoming really good at it and Giles allowed her to practice her on her own.

"Oh, what were you trying to do?" asked Xander.

"I have been trying to do a locator spell to see where my parents are. They are on the tour and I wanted to see if I could pinpoint their location. They aren't in America and I wanted to see if I could find them even if they were far away. I find out I could pinpoint their approximate location, the city that they are in, but not…" babbled Willow.

Xander cut in "Breathe Willow, breathe, you are babbling."

Willow took a few breaths "Thanks for stopping me. But really it's quite fascinating."

"I believe you," agreed Xander.

"So what did you come here to do?" asked Willow.

"Just to hang out with you... and to ask you something. I have been experiencing some strange things lately and I wanted to see if you could find anything about it with magic," said Xander.

"Ok. But what do you mean strange? Is something wrong with you?" worried the young witch.

"No, nothing like that. It's just since graduation I have been feeling strange, not like myself. And yesterday I sensed a vampire, who about to attack me, before I saw him. And then I staked him without too much trouble," explained Xander.

"Oh, ok. Did you tell anyone else about this?" asked Willow.

Xander answered "Yes, I told Giles this morning before coming here."

Interested Willow asked "And what did he say?"

"He said he would look into it and that I should find out if there are any others changes happening to me. He suggested that I should observe my parents to see if anything is happening to them too. I don't really understand why he thinks that, but Giles probably knows better than me," said Xander.

"It was probably because you are their son and your DNA came from them. If something triggered some changes in you, it could have triggered it in them too" elaborated Willow. "I know I will do a spell to see if there is anything different between you and them."

They went up to Willow's room, which was tidy as always. On the wall there was a map of the world and underneath her bed. Beside her bed was an aquarium with little fish swimming inside it. Beside it was a wardrobe, a bookshelf, with a lot of books, and the table, with computer on it. Willow started to prepare everything for the spell. Meanwhile she explained to Xander what she was about to do. "I am going to need a little of your blood and with it I am going to locate your parents with the help of the map of Sunnydale. Your blood should mark the spots where they are at the moment. If the same changes happened to them, as they did to you in the last week, the blood should change colour, but if nothing changed the blood should stay red." She took a few deep breaths "I am going to begin now. Give me your hand."

Xander gave her his hand and she cut his finger a little. She let a few drops of blood fall inside the cup beside her. Then she gave Xander a paper towel to stop the bleeding. But Xander wasn't looking at her; instead he was looking at his finger.

"What's wrong?" asked Willow.

"The cut…" he whispered.

"What about it?" wondered Willow.

"It healed," answered Xander and showed Willow his finger, which was completely healed. "How is this possible?"

"I think you have just found another power you have developed," said Willow. "Fast healing."

Xander didn't know what to say. This was a definite prof that something had changed within him.

"I am going to start now," said Willow, she closed her eyes and started chanting. The blood in the cup started to move and rise into the air. But it didn't settle on the map of Sunnydale. Instead it went to Willows' wall where the map of the world was hanging.

"What's happening?" asked Xander.

Willow didn't answer him, but continued chanting. The blood parted in two parts and the drops settled on the map. The spell was competed and Willow stopped chanting and opened her eyes. She looked around "What happened?"

"The blood didn't settle on the map on Sunnydale. Why didn't it do that?" asked worried Xander.

"I don't know. Are you sure your parents are in Sunnydale at the moment?" said Willow.

"Yes, I am sure."

Willow through for a few moments "Then I guess they are not your parents. You must have been adopted."

Xander looked at her "But that's not possible, they would have told me."

"Would they really? You know your relationship with them isn't the best," said Willow.

Xander started to feel angry "You are right Willow our relationship isn't good, but still… I am adopted. They should have told me"

Willow tried to calm him "That's true they should have, but they didn't and you can't change that. I think you should go talk to them and confront them. Ask them for the truth."

"You are right. I will go talk to them," said Xander.

"Do you want me to come with you," asked Willow.

"No. I need to do this on my own." Xander turned and walked out of the door.

Behind him Willow shouted "Call me later!"

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If you like it please review and tell me what you think!


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of BTVS or Sanctuary. They are the property of Joss and Syfy.

* * *

Xander was standing outside his house. He had been there for a few minutes already. He knew his parents were home, as he saw them through the window, but he just couldn't convince himself to go inside. He didn't want to face the truth. But knowing the truth had to come out, he took a few deep breaths and decided to get this over with. He walked to the door and unlocked it. Nobody said hello to him, they didn't even notice he was home. It was just like always, at least for his parents. He heard them yelling at each other in the living room, so that's where he went. He saw a bottle of beer on the table beside his father. So he had been drinking. This wasn't going to end well. They didn't notice him at first, because they were arguing, but that didn't last for long. When they saw him they stopped.

"What do you want?" his father snapped. "Didn't you see we were talking."

Yes, thought Xander you were having a very nice conversation, but all he said was "I have something important to ask you."

"Then ask and go away," said his father angrily.

He took a deep breath and blurred it out "Am I adopted?"

His parents stared at him, then looked at each other and then back at him. "Why do you want to know that?" asked his mother, trying to sound motherly, but failing.

"I just do!" snapped Xander.

"Why do you think…" started his mother, but his father interrupted her.

"Of course you are adopted. My biological child would never be such looser as you."

Xander stared at him. The truth had finally come out. At that moment he didn't know if he was relieved that Tony wasn't his biological father or disappointed that they didn't tell him sooner. He decided he was both, but he still wanted to know why they didn't tell him sooner. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"We didn't think that you would care. And even if we told you, we still don't know who your real parents are. The adoption agency didn't know. You were just found abandoned," explained his mother.

Xander was disappointed. Disappointed because of his parents, who if his mother was right, had abandoned him and disappointed over the couple before him, whom he believed until today were his parents. But he was angry too and the anger started to grow. "So you didn't think I would care. I care mom, I care! You might have adopted me and tried to act like my parents, but you never loved me. Or if you did you didn't show it. But I have parents out there, real parents. Parents who might have loved me, but had to abandoned me for some reason. And I want to meet them… and you didn't think I would care!" At the end he was shouting at his parents.

He was so angry he didn't notice his parents' frightened reaction. They were almost trembling. Their faces were white and they were looking at him with frightened eyes. "Your, your, your…" stuttered his mother.

Xander looked at her and saw that something was wrong. "What?" he snapped.

"Your face… your hands… what are you?" his mothers' voice was low, almost a whisper.

"What do you mean?" said Xander and went to the mirror on the wall. Doing this he stepped closer to his parents.

"Stay away from us!" shouted his father and tried to rise, but he was too drunk and he fell back into the couch.

Then Xander was in front of the mirror and he saw... he saw his face. His eyes were black and he had fang, but not like any vampires he had ever seen. All his teeth were fang like, some pointier than others. Then there were his nails that had turned into big black claws. He stared at the mirror for some time. He looked like some kind of a mutated vampire.

"You are not welcomed here anymore demon!" shouted his father.

Xander know he was right, he couldn't stay here anymore. Not just because his father said so, but because he didn't belong here anymore. But first, he still had some things to take care of. "I'll go, but I want to have everything you have about my parents. I want my adoption papers, birth certificate…" stated Xander.

"Fine. I'll get it for you, but after that you are not welcomed here anymore," said his mother.

Xander looked at the mirror expecting to see his deformed face again. But his face was normal now and looking at his hands he found them normal too. So the change wasn't permanent. He was glad. He couldn't imagine what he would have done if the changes were permanent.

Knowing that his mother would be back soon and he would have to leave he went into his room and started packing his clothes and things he valued. His parents or rather his adopted parents had never given him gifts, so except from few photos of him and his friends and gifts from Willow and Buffy, there wasn't anything to pack beside clothes. When he was finished he went to the door and took a last look at his room. He had spent almost all his life here, but he was glad he was leaving it behind. He went downstairs where his mother was waiting for him with papers in her hands.

"That's all I have about your adoption," she said looking a little less white, but still scared.

"Thank you," said Xander and took the papers. Then he looked at her and around himself, at the house in which he lived all his life, and left.

* * *

Xander wandered around. He didn't know where to go, but he needed a time to think about everything. Him being adopted came out of the blue, but him being something, something not human, that was the biggest shock. All his life he thought he was ordinary human along with all his friends. Even when he found out that vampires and demons existed and that Buffy was a Vampire slayer and later that Willow was a witch, he was still ordinary or so he thought.

He needed to think alone, so he wandered around Sunnydale with bags in hand. He walked for a long time and when he finally stopped he realized that it was already evening. He figured that he must have walked for hours, but he wasn't tired and after everything that didn't surprise him. From all the things he found about himself in the last twenty-four hours, he could be from Mars. After all why couldn't aliens exist? He didn't want to walk anymore, so he found a bench and sat on it. He had to figure out what he would tell his friends. And more importantly he had to figure out what he was. Maybe Giles would know. He could be in one of his books. But with his luck he probably wouldn't be in any of them. After all, the change didn't really happen naturally, it was the side effect of magic and he could be a brand new species.

But that wasn't all he worried about. He had to find his parents. He looked at the papers his mother… no she wasn't his mother any more, the woman who raised him, gave him. There wasn't much. There was his adoption paper, but on it there wasn't any information about his parent. Only useful information in it was the name of the city he was adopted in, Old City, Canada. The other papers didn't help him much either. All that was in them was the report about the place he was found and more useless information.

It was sometime later when he saw Willow and Buffy approaching him.


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of BTVS or Sanctuary. They are the property of Joss and Syfy.

* * *

While Xander was wandering around the town Willow was beginning to worry about him. It had been a few hours since he had left and he still hadn't called her. She decided to go to his house and look for him there.

She rang the bell at Xander's house and heard commotion from inside the house, but for a few minutes nothing happened. She rang the bell again and finally Xander's mother opened the door, but only enough that Willow could see her face.

"What do you want?" said Mrs. Harris.

"I am looking for Xander. Is he here?"

At the mention of Xander's name Mrs. Harris paled. "No, he isn't here."

Willow noticed something was wrong. "Are you feeling ok Mrs. Harris? You seem a little pale."

Mrs. Harris paled a little more. "No, I am good, nothing is wrong here."

Now Willow knew something was wrong, but being herself she didn't pry. However, her tone still sounded unconvincing "Sure… if you see Xander, tell him I am looking for him."

"I will, but I don't think he will come back," Mrs. Harris said and closed the door.

Willow stared at the door and then turned around. Something was definitely wrong. She knew that if she wanted to know what that was, she would have to find Xander. But she couldn't do it alone. Sunnydale wasn't a big town compared to other towns in California, but it still wasn't very small and it was going to get dark soon. She decided to find Buffy, tell her what was going on and ask for her help. Therefore she went to her house and rang a bell. Joyce answered the door and let her in. She told Willow that Buffy was in her room, so she went there. She found her siting on her bed.

Buffy was happy to see her. "Hi Willow. How are you?"

"I am fine. You?" asked Willow and sat beside her.

"I am fine, a little bored maybe. Since the ascension there are less demons in Sunnydale, so there's not much to do a nights," said the slayer. "Yesterday, all I found was one lousy vampire."

"I am sure it will get better," said her friend. "Anyway I wanted to ask you something. Would you mind helping me find Xander? I haven't heard from him since noon and I am beginning to worry. He found out something shocking today and went to confront his parents about it. I haven't heard from him since and when I went to his house his mother was acting strange."

"Of course I don't mind. But, what happened? What did he found out?" asked Buffy.

"He found out he is adopted and some other stuff, but I think it would be best if he told you about them," said the young witch.

Buffy was surprised "Really! And who are his real parents?"

"I don't know. He went home to ask Mr. and Mrs. Harris about his adoption, but I don't know what he found out. I have a feeling it didn't go very well, because he didn't call me after," answered Willow. She rose from the bed and went to the door and Buffy follower her. They said good bye to Joyce and went looking for Xander. After almost an hour they found him sitting on a bench near one of the cemeteries. He was sitting there and staring in the air. Even from afar they saw that he was deep in thoughts. They approached him and noticed that he had bags beside him and papers in his hands. So, something had definitely happened at his house.

He looked at them then, but said nothing.

"Hi," said Willow slowly and sat beside him. "How are you?"

Xander stayed silent, but his face showed that something was wrong.

Buffy, who sat on the other side of him, said "What happened?"

Xander looked at her "How much did Willow tell you?"

"Not much. Just that you found out you were adopted. She said it would be best if you told me more," answered Buffy.

Xander didn't know if he should be relived on not. On one hand if Willow had told her, he wouldn't have to, but on the other he wanted to see how she would react when she found out he wasn't human anymore. He knew he should tell Buffy what was happening to him as soon as possible, after all she was his friend, but he didn't want to repeat everything later for Giles. "I'll tell you everything, but I think we should go somewhere less public and invite Giles too. He should hear what I found out. I know we can go to his place and I'll tell you everything there."

Even though Buffy wanted to know what was going on she agreed with Xander. The three friends rose from the bench. Xander took his bags and they went to Giles's home. On the way he thought what he was going to tell them. He decided there was no easy was to do it, he wasn't going to sugarcoat it. He had to tell them everything. Soon they arrived and Buffy rang the bell. They heard some commotion inside and then Giles opened the door.

"Hi Giles. I think we all need to talk," said Xander. "I found out something that you all should know."

Giles nodded with his head for them to come in. "Come to the living room and we will talk."

The living room was in chaos. There were books everywhere. Giles made some room in the couch and they sat there. "I expect you found out something you didn't know this morning," said Giles.

"Yes, I did. But I should start from the beginning, because Buffy doesn't know anything." Xander turned to Buffy. "Since graduation I have been experiencing some strange things. I have become stronger, yesterday I even staked a vampire without any trouble. Because of that, this morning I went to Giles to ask him if he knew what was going on. He didn't know anything, but he said he would look into it." started Xander and then took a deep breath.

"Yes," said Giles "that's what I have been doing all day, as you can see from all the books lying around."

Xander continued "But you didn't know an important fact, something I discovered after I left you. Actually Willow discovered it, but that's not the point. I am adopted."

Giles looked at Willow and started cleaning his glasses "Really. How did you found that out Willow?"

"I did a little spell," answered Willow and looked away in embarrassment. "Stop looking at me like that. I didn't do anything wrong. You said I could practice on my own."

"Indeed I did, but I don't think this was just a little spell. What exactly did you do?" asked Giles.

Buffy interrupted them "This is really interesting and all, but I want to know what else Xander found out."

"Yes, you are right," agreed Giles. "But we are going to talk about this later Willow."

Willow nodded "Fine."

They all looked at Xander and he continued "After Willow found out about my adoption I went to talk about it with my parents. They confess that they had adopted me, but something else happened too. I was so angry at them and I don't really know what happened, but something changed within me. At first I didn't even notice it, but then I saw how frightened they were and I looked into the mirror." Xander stopped. He didn't know if he could continue. He didn't want to see their faces when they realize he was a monster. He stood up and started pacing around the room.

Willow saw his concern, so she too stood up and hugged him "Whatever happened, you know we are your friends, we will support you."

Xander smiled "I hope so. Here goes nothing. I… I had fangs Willow, fangs. And black eyes. And I had long, black nails. I looked like some kind of mutated vampire." Xander looked away. He couldn't look at his friends. He didn't want to see the disgust on their faces, but he knew that sooner or later he would have to face them, so soon he turned around and looked at them. But he didn't see disgust; all he saw was concern, concern for him.

Giles was the first who said anything "Interesting, but how come you look like yourself now?

"I don't know," answered Xander "after I calmed down a little the changes reversed."

Now Giles was getting really exited "Remarkable. Do you think you could do it again? Do you think you could change at will?"

"I don't know. And I don't think I want to do it. Not until I know what is going on," answer Xander. "What if I am some kind of demon? What if I become dangerous and Buffy has to slay me?"

"You know Buffy would never do that. Right Buffy?" said Willow.

"Of course I would never do that. You are my friend Xander. Whatever you are, you are still my friend. And I don't think you would ever hurt someone without a reason." Buffy assured him.

"Thanks, that means a lot," said Xander. He hugged Willow who was standing next to him and then went to Buffy and hugged her too. Then he looked at Giles "Do you know what I am? And did you found what might have caused this?"

The watcher looked around the room "As you can see I have been researching all day. I think I know what caused the changes, but for what you are I will have to see the changes you described with my own eyes before I can even guess."

"So, what caused the changes?" asked Willow.

"I think that somehow your recessive genes turned on. During the ascension, some magic must have altered your DNA structure and I don't think it can be reversed," said Giles "It's possible that you are unique, that your genes just mutated and that's it. I thought that because your parents are normal. But if you are really adopted, then I think that it is more plausible that at least one of your parents had that gen already."

Xander and Buffy both stared at him. Xander understood only a little of what Giles had just said. Biology was never his strong suit.

Willow must have seen their look so she explained "Giles thinks the change happened because of something in your DNA and that at least one of your real parents is the same as you."

"Aaa, thanks Willow" said Xander.

* * *

Please review.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of BTVS or Sanctuary. They are the property of Joss and Syfy.

* * *

"Do you think you would be able to change again?" asked Giles. "I know you're afraid, but I think it would help me find out what you are."

"Okay, I'll try." Xander didn't look very happy, but he still closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. He thought about his last change and tried to figure out what had caused it. He knew that he was very angry then, so he tried to remember exactly what he felt. After a few minutes he opened his eyes and asked the others "Did it work? Did anything change?"

They all shook their heads. Giles suggested "If I may, I think you're concentrating too hard on the last time it happened. Try concentrating on the change itself. Try to visualize yourself already changed or changing."

Xander nodded and closed his eyes. He thought about his face, how it had felt, how his black eyes and sharp teeth had looked like. He imagined his nails lengthen, he could almost feel them changing. He heard Willow squeak and the others gasp for breath. He knew that he had done it, so he opened his eyes.

"What do you think?" he said, trying to sound funny.

"Good Lord!" gasped Giles. "I think I know…"

Willow interrupted him "What's wrong with your voice?"

"What do you mean?" said Xander and only then noticed that his voice sounded different, deeper. "Oh that… I haven't even noticed it till now. And by the way, really? After you saw the change, that's what's bothering you the most. My voice?"

"Yes, I have seen worst creatures than you," answered Willow.

"Geeeeee, thanks," said Xander sarcastically, but really he was trying to hide a smile "I'm not the worst you've ever seen."

"That's not what I meant and you know it," said Willow "and don't you think I can't see you trying to hide a smile."

Giles started cleaning his glasses "If you two are done, I think we have more pressing issues at hand." He put his glasses back and came closer to Xander. He lifted his hands to touch his face, but changed his mind and rather asked for permission "Can I?"

"Of course," answered Xander.

Giles touched Xander's face. It felt the same. He moved his hands and touched Xander's fangs. He touched the tip of one of his fangs, which were very sharp, and he cut his finger on it. He quickly moved his hand away, but not before a drop of his blood dropped into Xander's mouth. Giles was looking at his finger so he didn't noticed Xander's expression at the taste of blood. But Buffy and Willow noticed it. They saw him close his eyes and his satisfied expression.

"Xander are you okay?" asked Buffy.

"Mhm," answered Xander, but his expression didn't change. After a few moments he opened his eyes "I didn't just… I did didn't I? I enjoyed the taste of blood."

Giles finally stopped looking at his finger and looked at Xander. "I think that there's more to this change, than just the physical changes. You said yourself yesterday, but I hadn't paid it much attention, that you haven't been very hungry recently. I think that whatever you have become, you now need blood to survive."

"No. I don't want to drink blood, there must be something you can do about it," said terrified Xander.

"I can't do anything about that, but if this is the first time you have tasted blood since the change began I don't think you'll need a lot of it to survive. At least not jet. I can't say if the change is completed or not, but I think I know what you are," the watcher started to reassure Xander.

"What? What am I?"

"You look like a type of demon in know of, but it shouldn't be possible, because they were supposed to be extinct," said Giles and went to one of his books and picked it up.

"Giles just tell me!" snapped Xander.

Giles didn't answer him. Instead he was looking through the book in his hand. Finally he stopped and showed the page to Xander. He looked at it and saw a picture of a creature that looked similar to him.

"This is a type of demon the Watcher Council thought has been extinct for at least a century. Last sighting of it was in the nineteenth century. The Council doesn't know much about it. We know that they were once a powerful race, but then they were hunted down to extinction. The name of the species is Akhkharu," said Giles.

"Akawhat?" interrupted Buffy.

"Akhkharu."

"Whatever. Where do you get that sort of names anyway?" wondered Buffy.

"The name comes from ancient Sumerian…" Giles started to explain.

Buffy stopped him "Aaaaa. Forget it. I don't really want to know."

"As I was saying before you interrupted me the species was thought to be extinct, but I guess that didn't really happened or you wouldn't be here," said Giles while looking at Xander.

"Were they dangerous? Did they kill humans?" asked Xander.

"I don't know. There isn't a lot written about them in the books I have here, so I don't think they will be of any help. But even if they were dangerous, they're not you Xander. You make your own choices," answered Giles. For a few moments everyone was silent and then Giles continued "Now I think it would be best if you tell me everything you know about your birth parents."

Xander looked at the floor. "I don't know anything," he said and took the papers his adopted parents gave him. "That's all I have about my adoption and nowhere inside them does it state my parents' names." He gave Giles the papers. "All I have learned from them is that I was found abandoned in the Old City."

Giles took the papers and went through them.

"Old City. Where did I hear that name?" Willow was trying to remember. She knew that she had heard it recently. And then it came to her "Old City. The spell I did, it showed that one of your parents was in Old City. They might live there."

Xander was getting excited "I have to go there, I have to find them."

"I know. I will go with you," said Willow.

"Thank you," said Xander and looked at Buffy.

"I would love to come with you, but I can't. I have to go visit my father in two days. My mother would never let me go with you," said Buffy.

"This is nice and all, but how are you going to find them there and how are you going to get there. Old City is in Canada and I don't think you can go to there with a car" said Giles.

"I have some money. I have been saving it because I thought I was going to go out of Sunnydale to University, but since I have decided to stay here I don't really need it at the moment. I think I have enough for two airplane tickets," said Willow and continued "If we buy them now we could leave in a few days." She turned to Giles "Are you coming with us too?"

"I can't, I have to stay here," answer Buffy's watcher.

"Okay, so I'll buy us a plane tickets from Los Angeles to Old City as soon as possible," said Willow and turned to Giles. "Giles do you have a computer?" Seeing the look on his face she answered herself "Of course you don't. I'll go home then and buy tickets."

"Can I come with you? I'm not welcomed home anymore. After seeing me change my parents forbid me from ever coming back," explained Xander.

"Of course you can! You know you're always welcome at my place," she answered and they turned to leave. She called out "When I get the tickets I will call you both and tell you when we're going. Bye."

* * *

On the way to her house Willow asked Xander "How are you really?"

"I don't know," he answered. "I never expected any of this to happen to me. I always thought I was normal. And now… I have to find my parents and find out what's happening to me," he stopped talking, but after a few steps he continued "I think the biggest shock was blood. The taste of it… it was amazing Willow, but I don't want to become a monster, I don't want to drink blood for the rest of my life."

Willow saw his distress. She turned to him and hugged him "You're not a monster; you could never be a monster."

"But how do you know? What if I'm not able to control it?" whispered Xander.

"We will find a way. Your parents may hold all the answers you need." Willow comforted him.

"I know it's just…" started Xander, but she interrupted him.

"Ssssshhh, it will be okay, you'll see," said Willow and the two friends continued their walk in silence.

* * *

If you like it please review.


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of BTVS or Sanctuary. They are the property of Joss and Syfy.

* * *

Xander was lying on the couch and looking at the ceiling, but he wasn't seeing it. He was thinking. Thinking about everything that had happened in the last few days; about all the changes and discoveries. How his world had changes or at least his view of the world has changed.

Willow came into the room and interrupted his thoughts "I reserved us a ticked. We are leaving from Los Angeles airport in two days."

"Great, but where are we going to stay where we get there?" asked Xander.

"I took care of that also. I booked as a hotel for a few days," said Willow and sat beside him. "I was thinking that it would be best if, when we get there, I…"

Xander interrupted her "Slow down Willow, you are starting to babble. We have enough time to think about everything later. For now we need to call Giles and Buffy and tell them when we are leaving."

"Yes you are right," said the young witch "but there is something else I should tell you. As you knew I said that one spot on the map was in Old City. And that is what I meant, there was only one spot. The other was somewhere in the middle of nowhere."

Xander stayed silent. He was a little disappointed, but he didn't want to show it.

"Now I don't know what this means. Maybe one of them is…" started Willow, but Xander interrupted her.

"It's okay Willow. First we need to find whichever of my parents in Old City and then we will worry about the other."

"Okay," smiled Willow. "Now I think it would be best to call Buffy and Giles. Hey, didn't Buffy say she was going to see her father in two day?"

"Yes, she did. But what does this have to do with anything?" asked Xander.

"She is going to Los Angeles in two days; we are going to Los Angeles in two days. Maybe we could ride with her there and she could drop us of on the airport."

"Good thinking Willow. I don't know what I would do without you," exclaimed Xander and smiled.

Willow smiled back and then went to call Buffy. She answered after a few rings.

"Hi Buffy."

"Hi Willow. Did you book your flight? When are you going?" asked Buffy.

Willow answered "Yes I did. We are going in two days and I wanted to know if we could ride with you to Los Angeles?"

"Of course Willow. Just tell me when you have to be at the airport and I will give you a lift before I go to my dad's," said Buffy.

Willow told her when they needed to be at the airport and they decided that Buffy was going to pick them up at 9 a.m. Then they talked some more about everything else.

After the call ended Willow called Giles and told him about their plans. He was happy that everything was going smoothly, but a little worried about them being on their own. He advised them to be careful, because oven through they weren't going to be on Hellmouth there could still be demons in Old City.

Willow of course told him that they will be careful and then asked him for advice "When we are there, do you think I should do a spell and find his parents with magic or do you think it would be better if we tried to find them in more mundane way?"

Giles thought about it "I don't know. I advise you to try to find them without magic at first, start with the adoption agency and see where that leads you. But if that doesn't work you can try using magic."

"Okay, thanks. Oh, and do you think I could borrow some ingredients for locator spell? I used all of them doing my last spell," asked Willow shyly.

"Of course, but Willow we still need to have that talk about you doing too complicated spells on your own."

Willow took a deep breath "I know, but not now. We can talk about it when I come for the ingredients."

The watcher sighted "As you wish."

* * *

For Xander the next two days passed in blur. He was excited that he would soon be a step closer to finding his parent and that he was going abroad for the first time. Well, not really the first time since he was adopted in Old City, but he didn't count that. He had been a baby then and he didn't remember anything.

The only thing that worried him was his decreasing appetite for food. In the last few days he had slowly stopped eating. Yesterday all he ate was a few bites of sandwich and even that was because he forced himself knowing he should eat something. He was worried what the next stage of his disinterest in food was going to be. He hoped that he wasn't going to begin craving blood, but with his encounter with Giles's blood he figured that that was probably it. But for now that hadn't happened yet and he was glad.

As for his other changes he was learning to control them. He had learned how to bring out his demon side or as he preferred to call it his other side. He still wasn't comfortable with referring to himself as a demon. The change happened quickly now and he was always aware and in control of it, which was good because he didn't want to cause panic if it ever happened in public. Not that anyway would notice it here in Sunnydale, as almost all the citizens had Sunnydale syndrome meaning that if anything strange happened they forgot about it or found out a rational explanation about it. However, he didn't think that people in Old City had the same syndrome, so he was glad he had his changes under control.

* * *

Soon it was time to go to the airport. It was already 9 a.m., but Buffy was a little bit late. He and Willow took their bags and went to wait for her on the front porch. She came in a few minutes and they were on their way.

They had all said good bye to Giles the night before, when they had visited him. He gave them some advice and he and Willow talked about her usage of magic. He advised her to think good before using more complicated spells and made her promise him, that she wouldn't use magic on her journey unless there was no other way. Before they left he wished them good luck and told them to call him if they needed anything.

The drive to Lost Angeles airport didn't take long. On the way three friends talked about a lot of things. Mostly about how they were going to spent the next few days.

"What are you going to do when you get to Old City?" asked Buffy.

Xander looked at Willow and let her answer it, after all she was the one with all the plans. "I was thinking the best way to start our search would be with visiting the adoption agency."

"Good thinking, but what if that doesn't work?" asked Buffy.

"They must have some kind of information about it. If nothing else they must know who found Xander and we could go talk to him," said Willow.

"Yes," added Xander "someone must know something."

Willow looked at Xander "But if that doesn't work, I will use magic. I will do a locator spell to find your parent."

Buffy asked her "But why don't you use magic right away? You would find his parents sooner."

"I know, but I promised Giles I wouldn't use it unless necessary," answered Willow. "I think he is a little concern about how much magic I use."

"Oh, okay," said Buffy. She looked at the road "We are almost at the airport."

"What about you? What are you going to do in Los Angeles?" asked Willow.

"What I always do. Hang with my dad, slay some vampires in secret…" answered Buffy.

Xander wondered "You dad still doesn't know you are a slayer?"

Buffy looked at him "Of course not. He had me committed the last time I told him the truth. I am not going to do it again."

They were silent for a few minutes in which they arrived at the airport and Buffy parked the car. "I guess this is your stop," she said and they all went out of the car.

Willow and Xander took their bags out of the trunk and Buffy came to them and hugged them. "I am going to miss you."

"We are going to miss you too," they exclaimed.

"Call me as soon as you find out anything new. Okay?" said the slayer.

"Of course," answered Willow "but we have to go now. We have to check our luggage in."

"Okay. See you in a few weeks," said Buffy and hugged them again. Then she went to her car in drove away.

* * *

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	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of BTVS or Sanctuary. They are the property of Joss and Syfy.

* * *

Willow and Xander checked in their luggage at the airport and then went through security. They needed to board their airplane in an hour so till then they wandered around the airport. When the hour was up they boarded the plane. Since it was their first time on the plane they were a little nervous, but after a smooth take off, they relaxed. The flight took a few hours during which they watched a few movies. After the landing they went to collect their luggage. Then they found a taxi and Willow told the driver the name of their hotel.

The first few minutes of the drive passed in silence. Xander and Willow were looking at the city through the window. It was very different from what they were used to. In Sunnydale the streets were full of houses, but here they were only a few houses and a lot more apartment building and skyscrapers. The other obvious difference was the green area. In Sunnydale almost all the houses had gardens and there were a lot of parks. However, there weren't a lot of gardens and parks here.

The driver interrupted their silence "First time in Old City?"

"Yes," answered Willow "how did you know?"

"The way you're looking out of the window," answered the driver.

"Oh…" said Willow and continued looking. In the distance she noticed a big building that resembled a church. "What's that?"

The driver looked out to see what she was talking about. "Oh, that. I don't really know. I think it's some kind of a private research facility."

"Oh, okay."

The rest of the drive passed in silence with the two friends looking through the window.

"We're here," announced the driver and stopped the car.

They went out of the car and took their luggage. They said good bye to the driver and entered the hotel which was big and nice looking. Willow went to the reception and signed them in. She got their key and they went to find their room. It was medium sized with two beds, a bathroom and a balcony. The view was on the busy street and in the distance they could see the river.

They settled in and then sat on the bed.

"What are we going to do today?" asked Xander.

Willow thought for a moment and then said "I think we should call the adoption agency and arrange an appointment for tomorrow."

Xander nodded so Willow picked the phone and made the call. After some explaining she set the meeting for the next morning with Ms. Spencer.

Having nothing to do for the rest of the day, they went to look around the city. In the evening they found a nice restaurant where Willow ate dinner and Xander moved bits of his food on his plate. He still hadn't told Willow about his lost appetite. After the dinner they went back to the hotel and went to sleep soon after knowing that the next day they had a lot of things to take care of.

* * *

The alarm clock woke the two friends up the next day early in the morning. They dressed and went to breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Before going they took everything they needed for the appointment later, deciding that they wouldn't come back to their room after breakfast. While Willow ate they talked about different things and then went looking for a taxi. They found it quickly and soon they stood outside the building in which the adoption agency had their office.

Xander was nervous. This was it. This was the beginning of their search for his parents and he hoped it wouldn't take long to find them.

They entered the building and took the elevator to the sixth floor where the agency was. When they stepped out they saw a desk and a woman sitting behind it.

She saw them and asked "Good morning. How may I help you?"

Willow answered "Good morning. We have an appointment with Ms. Spencer."

The secretary looked at her computer "Yes I see. Please wait a moment and I'll go tell her you're here." She rose from here chair and went through the door on her left. After a few minutes she was back. "Ms. Spencer will see you now. The second door on the left is her office."

Willow and Xander followed her instructions and knocked on the door.

"Come in," called a female voice from inside.

Xander opened the door. The room was nice and comfortable looking for an office. It had a desk with a few chairs, a couch in the corner and there were flowers everywhere. Behind the desk sat an older woman whom Xander assumed was Ms. Spencer. She stood up and went to greet them.

"Good morning. I'm Amy Spencer," she said and offered her hand.

"I'm Xander Harris and this is Willow Rosenberg," said Xander and shook her hand.

"Please sit," said Ms. Spencer and pointed to chairs beside the desk. She sat on the other side of the table. "I understand you're here about your adoption."

"Yes," answered Xander. "I'm trying to find my parents and I'm hoping you have more information about them than I do."

"I hope I'll be able to help you. I worked on your case when you were a baby," she said and took some files from her desk. "But before I tell you everything I know, I'll need to see a document to conform that you're who you say you are."

"Of course," said Xander and took out his wallet. He took out his ID and showed it to Ms. Spencer.

She looked at it for a moment and then returned it. "Okay. Here's everything I know about you," she said and opened the folder before her. "You were found in the Old City Square early in the morning. Nobody knew who left you there, but the men who found you thought he saw a suspicious man leaving the Square. He called the police and they took you to an orphanage. The assumed you were about three months old…"

Xander interrupted her "Do you know who my parents are?"

"No, I'm sorry I don't," she answered giving him a sad look. "We tried searching for them, but nothing came up. Nobody filed a missing person report for you or had any other information about you. But you were healthy, so after a few months in the orphanage we found a couple that wanted to adopt the baby. They came to see you and they adopted you soon. After that we stopped searching."

Xander was silent. He had hoped he would found out something about his patents, but it seemed that wasn't to be.

After some time Willow spoke "There really wasn't anything else?"

"Nothing that I can think of," said Ms. Spencer.

"What about the man who found me? What was his name?" asked Xander.

Ms. Spencer looked through her files "Here we go. Alex Jackson."

"Do you think we could talk to him?" asked Xander hoping that maybe he would know something more.

"I think so, but I can't give you his contact information without his consent. However, I can call him for you and ask for a meeting," suggested Ms. Spencer.

"Yes, please call him if you don't mind," said Willow.

Ms. Spencer took her phone and dialed the number on her list. After a few rings someone picked up.

"Hello. Am I speaking with Mr. Jackson?"

"…"

"Yes. Hello, I'm Amy Spencer. I work for the adaption agency. I'm calling on behalf of the boy you found abandoned in the Square in 1981."

"…"

"He wants to meet you and talk about that day. He's looking for his parents."

"…"

"Okay, I'll tell him." Ms. Spencer covered the phone and said "He says he's fine with meeting you and wants to know when you can meet him."

"As soon as possible," answered Xander and Willow nodded.

Ms. Spencer said in the phone "They would like to meet you as soon as possible."

"…"

"He's here with a friend."

"…"

"Okay," she turned to them. "He says he can't meet you today, but he has time tomorrow at 12 p.m. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes, it's fine. Please ask him where," answered Xander.

Ms. Spencer said in the phone "He says it's okay, but wants to know where."

"…"

"Okay, I'll tell them." Again she asked them "He wants to know if you can meet him at his work place. He works not far from here."

"Yes we can," answered Willow.

"They can meet you there, just give me the address," she took a pen and a piece of paper and started writing. "Okay, I have it."

"…"

"I'll tell them. Good bye." She set the phone on the desk and handed them a piece of paper. "This is the address and his phone number. He said to call him when you come and wait for him outside."

"Thank you," said Xander and looked at Willow. "We should go now."

Willow nodded and turned to Ms. Spencer. "Again thank you for your trouble."

"It's fine. It was nice meeting you."

They shook hands again and Willow and Xander left.

* * *

If you like it please review.


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of BTVS or Sanctuary. They are the property of Joss and Syfy.

Thanks to my beta Alkeni.

* * *

The next day Willow and Xander went to meet Mr. Jackson. They left their hotel at 11.30 a.m. and arrived a little before 12 p.m. They waited until it was 12 p.m. and then Xander called him.

He answered after the first ring "…"

"Hello, this is Xander Harris. Ms. Spencer called you yesterday about me."

"…"

"Yes, we're here."

"…"

"Yes, we'll wait. Bye." Xander hung up and looked at Willow. "He'll be here in few minutes."

She nodded. Soon they saw a short guy exiting the building and looking around. Assuming he was Alex Jackson they went to him.

"Hello. Are you Xander Harris?" he asked.

"Yes and this is Willow Rosenberg," he said and they shook hands.

"I am on a lunch break so I was thinking we would get something to eat and talk there," suggested Mr. Jackson.

"Okay. We haven't eaten yet so lead the way," said Xander. He hadn't been hungry for the last few days, but he knew that Willow probably was. He still hadn't told her about his eating problem, but he knew he would have to tell her soon.

"The restaurant is just around the corner so we'll go on foot," said Mr. Jackson. They started walking and he asked Xander "What did you want to talk about Mr. Harris?"

"I'm trying to find my birth parents and I heard you were the one who found me. And please, call me Xander. When you call me Mr. Harris I start looking around for my adopted father."

"Okay and yes, I did find you. It was quite a shock actually, finding a baby on my way to work," said Mr. Jackson and slowed his walk. "We're here."

They entered the restaurant and sat on the nearby table. I was a small restaurant, but nice and comfortable looking. As it was early for lunch, there weren't many costumers yet and they got the table without a problem.

"Let's order and we'll talk while they make our food," suggested Mr. Jackson.

For a few minutes, while they looked at the menu, nobody spoke. Soon the waiter came to collect their order and they ordered. Xander ordered something knowing it would be strange if he didn't order anything. When the waiter left their conversation started again.

Mr. Jackson said "I figured you have a few questions for me."

"Yes. I want to know if you know anything about my parents," asked Xander hoping to finally get some leads about them.

"I probably don't know anything you don't already know. I found you abandoned in the Old City Square. I called the police and told them about you," he started explaining, but was interrupted by Willow.

"Ms. Spencer told us you said you saw a strange man nearby," said Willow.

"Oh, yes... I did see someone, but I don't know if he had anything to do with you. It was a little strange, because it was early in the morning and there was almost nobody else around. But strange is normal here."

"What do you mean?" asked Willow hoping to find out something useful.

"There is a lot of night activity around here," he said.

Xander and Willow shared a look both thinking about demons and their nightly activities in Sunnydale.

"Could you elaborate please? Do you mean it's not safe at night around here?" asked Willow concerned that maybe this was another Hellmouth for which Giles didn't know about, because if he knew he would have mentioned it.

"No, nothing like that. Just sometimes strange things happen here, but usually nobody is seriously hurt," he stopped, but after a few seconds he continued. "But when they happen, these guys usually show up and take care of everything or so I have heard. Nobody knows what their job is, but there are some rumors about them."

"What sort of rumors?" asked Xander.

"There are a lot of them. That they deal with all kind of strange things; some even say that they deal with demons and aliens and that they work at some kind of research facility in the city. I once heard that it was called a sanctuary, but I don't know for what." Mr. Jackson started telling them.

Xander and Willow saw that he liked to talk, but his speech was interrupted by arrival of the waiter who brought their food. For the next couple of minutes the table was silent while everybody except Xander, who only pretended to eat, ate.  
However, while Willow was eating she thought about what Mr. Jackson had just said. She realized that if that facility really dealt with strange things it might be able to help them. But first she needed to know more about it. So when they all stopped eating Willow asked Mr. Jackson "Do you know where this sanctuary is?"

Mr. Jackson looked at her "I don't know if it really is a sanctuary, but whatever it is I think that it's that huge old building near the river."

Willow thought for a moment trying to remember if she had seen any such building by the river. After some thought she remembered the building she asked taxi driver about yesterday. "You mean that giant building that resembles a church? I think we saw it on our way from the airport."

"Yes, you could have seen it," said Mr. Jackson. He looked at his watch than and noticed that it was nearly 1 p.m. "Look at the time. I have to go now, my lunch break is almost over," he said and started taking out his wallet.

"Okay. It was nice meeting you and don't worry about the payment. We'll pay since it was us who wanted to meet you." said Xander and Willow nodded.

Mr. Jackson put away his wallet. "Okay and thank you. I hope I helped you in your search."

"I hope so too. If you remember anything else please call me," said Xander.

"Of course," agreed Mr. Jackson and stood up. Then they all said good bye and he left.

Xander looked at Willow "What do you think? Are we any closer to finding my parents?"

"I don't know. I'm interested in this sanctuary as he called it. If they really deal with strange things maybe they could help us," said Willow optimistically.

"Or maybe they could capture me and study me," said Xander who wasn't as optimistic as Willow.

"Yes, or they could do that. I think we should call Giles. If they do have anything to do with demons maybe he had heard of them," said Willow. "But first we should go back to the hotel, because if we make this call here and somebody overhears us they would think we're mad."

Xander agreed so he called the waiter and asked for a bill.

While they waited Willow asked "Xander I noticed that you haven't eaten anything. Is something wrong? Are you sick?" She was worried about him, because he had been dealing with a lot of things lately; finding he was adopted and that he was a demon and now she noticed that he wasn't eating anything.

Xander knew she would have figured it out sooner or later, but it turned out to be sooner than he expected. He had hoped he would have at least a few days before he had to tell her, but now that she knew something was up, he decided to tell her everything. "Nothing's wrong, it's just… For the last few days I haven't been hungry," he took a deep breath. "I think I'm still changing Willow. I think that this is the next stage and after that... You know what happened with Giles's blood. I've lost my appetite few days ago and I can't be sure, but I think I'll be craving blood soon." He was a little distressed, because before he didn't want to admit even to himself what might happen and now that he had said it out loud, he finally confronted himself with the truth; that soon he might need blood to survive.

"You don't know that for sure, but if it happens we'll deal with it. You could always do what Angel does; drink animal blood," Willow comforted him.

"Yes you're right we'll find a way," said Xander comforted by Willow's words.

At that moment the waiter came with their bill and they paid it. After that they went to find a taxi and soon they were back in the hotel.

* * *

When they came back to their room they called Giles and put him on speaker. He answered after a few rings.

"Hi G-man, Xander and Willow here."

"Hello you two and please don't call me that Xander. How are you? How is your search going?"

"We are fine. We went to the adoption agency yesterday and today we talked to the guy that found me."

"Did you find anything about your parents?"

"Nothing useful really, but today we found out something else and Willow wanted to ask you about it."

Giles was interested "What did you find?"

This time Willow answered "Giles did you ever heard of sanctuary?"

There was a pause on the other side of the phone and then Giles answered "I'm guessing you aren't talking about an ordinary sanctuary."

"No. The guy who found Xander told us that there is a rumor about a research facility in town that deals with strange things and it's called a Sanctuary."

There was a pause again and then Giles said "I have heard of an organization with that name."

Willow was excited "Great. What can you tell us about it?"

"From what I have heard they deal with demons, but they don't kill them. And they themselves say that they don't deal with demons, but with abnormal. They say that there is a difference between demons and abnormal, but the Watcher Council doesn't believe them. As you know they think that everything not human is a demon and should be killed," Giles explained.

"Anything else?" asked Xander.

"The Council doesn't have a good relationship with them, because they protect demons. They have some kind of sanctuary for them. That's why the organization is called Sanctuary," elaborated Giles.

This was getting better and better. They found an organization that didn't kill demons and probably know a lot about them. Now all they needed was their willingness to help. Xander asked Giles excitedly "Do you think they would be able to help us with the search?"

"Maybe, from what I have heard they have a lot of contacts in the demon world. They might know if any Akhkharu still exist. You should contact them and find out. But a word of advice; when you talk to them, don't use the word demon for the creatures they deal with. I heard they don't like it and as I said before they distinguish between demons and abnormal so call them abnormal instead."

"Okay, thanks. Anyway how are things in Sunnydale?" asked Willow and for a few minutes they talked about normal things pretending the world wasn't so complicated. After the call ended they called Buffy so she wouldn't worry about them. They filled her in on everything and promised to call her as soon as they knew something new.

After that, they relaxed and talked a little. They decided that they would visit Sanctuary the next day.

* * *

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	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of BTVS or Sanctuary. They are the property of Joss and Syfy.

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At noon the next day they were on their way to the Sanctuary. Willow hadn't found their phone number anywhere so they hoped they liked unexpected visitors or at least didn't dislike them. The taxi stopped outside of the big gate. Behind it was a giant building, which they hoped was the Sanctuary. They paid the driver and walked to the gates.

"I really hope this is Sanctuary and not some other private research facility," said Xander hopefully.

"Yes, me too," agreed Willow and rang the bell on the wall beside the gate. They waited, but in the next few minutes nothing happened.

"Maybe nobody is home," suggested Xander.

"It's a big building. They probably just need time to…" started Willow.

She was interrupted by a deep voice coming through the intercom beside the bell. "What do you want?"

Willow was startled, but quickly recovered and said "We're hoping you could help us."

"Help you with what?"

Willow looked at Xander and he nodded encouraging.

"We heard this is a Sanctuary and we were hoping that you have some information to help us find someone."

"Come inside then," said the voice and the gate opened.

They took a deep breath and went through the gate. They walked along the long driveway to the door. It was unlocked and they stepped inside the big empty hallway.

"This is getting creepier and creepier," whispered Xander.

Willow forced herself to smile and whispered back "At least we got in."

They heard a noise and turned in the direction it came from. A middle age woman was approaching them.

"Hello. I'm doctor Helen Magnus," she introduced herself and offered her hand.

"Hello. I'm Xander Harris," said Xander and shook her hand.

"And I'm Willow Rosenberg," said Willow and did the same.

"I heard you were looking for information," said Magnus.

"Yes, we are," answered Willow.

"Let's go to my office then and we'll talk there," said Magnus and the two teenagers followed her.

They walked through a few confusing and deserted hallways and the two friends looked around in wonder. After a few minutes they stopped outside the office and Magnus let them in. The office was big and comfortable looking. There was a desk with a lot of papers and a computer on it and few chairs around it. In the corner were two bookshelves full of books and on the other side were three couches and a small table beside them. There were a lot of shelves around the room with different items on them.

"Please have a sit," said Magnus and pointed toward the couches. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes," said both and sat down.

Magnus went to the table and presses a button on her phone. When she heard someone pick up she asked "Could you bring us some tea please?"

"Of course," said the same voice Willow and Xander talked to at the gate.

Magnus put the phone down and went to the couch that faced toward them. She sat down and for a few moments nobody spoke, but then she interrupted the silence. "How did you find this place?"

Xander looked at Willow not knowing how much they should tell her, so Willow, seeing his look, decided to speak "We heard about it from an acquaintance. We're looking for someone and are hoping that you might be able to help us find them."

"Why do you think that we might be able to help you?" asked Magnus. She didn't know how much they knew about things that the Sanctuary deals with.

"We heard you deal with strange things and this is kind of strange," elaborated Xander.

Magnus nodded and said "Okay. Tell me who you are looking for."

"It's a long story," said Xander.

"I love long stories," answered Magnus and smiled. She could tell that he was nervous and wanted to make him more comfortable.

Xander took a deep breath and started to explain. "We're looking for my parents," he said and then stopped.

Magnus stared at him. "That wasn't long."

Xander smiled a little. "That isn't all. About a week ago I found out I was adopted and I decided to find my parents. I found out I was adopted in Old City so Willow and I went here. We talked to the adoption agency, but they didn't know anything about my parents. However, they arranged a meeting with a man who found me, but he didn't know anything new as well. But he told us something about this place and we figured you might be able to help us."

Magnus was good at reading body language so she knew he was telling the truth, but she also knew he wasn't telling her everything. "But that isn't all, is it?"

"No, not really. Something strange happened to me and…" he didn't know if he should continue. He didn't want to sound crazy.

Magnus saw his hesitation and decided to help him out, so she kindly asked him "Do you know what we do here?"

Xander was silent, but Willow answered instead "We heard that you deal with de…abnormals."

"Yes. We help them and provide sanctuary for those who need it," said Magnus noticing Willow's slip, but deciding to ask about it later. Instead she looked at Xander. "Tell me what happened."

Xander decide he should tell her everything. They had come this far and they needed her help. "I think that I might be an abnormal."

Magnus nodded. She had suspected it, because otherwise they wouldn't have come here. "What can you do?"

"It's more like physical changes," answered Xander.

"Can you show me?"

Xander had been expecting this, bit still he wasn't comfortable changing before a stranger. However, he knew that if he wanted her help he had to show her. The change happened quickly and effortlessly.

Magnus gasped a little when she saw his change. A Sanguine vampiris. This shouldn't be possible. The only living vampire was Nikola and he wouldn't… she stopped mid thought. Yes, he would. He had already done it before. He had probably experimented on this boy and turned him into a vampire. She whispered to herself "I am going to kill you Nikola." Then she said louder to Xander "Do you know what you are?"

"A friend told me that I'm an Akhkharu," he answered.

Willow and Magnus looked at him strangely. Willow because she didn't think he remembered that name. He usually forgot strange names in a second.

But Magnus looked at strangely for another reason. The name Akhkharu wasn't widely known among abnormals and humans alike. Only Praxians used that name nowadays and it was probably mentioned in few old books, but that was it. "That's one name for the species. The other is a Sanguine vampiris. The one you used, Akhkharu, isn't widely known. How did you find it?" asked Magnus.

Willow and Xander looked at each other. Neither of them wanted to start talking about the Watcher Council and that a Watcher told them that name. If the Sanctuary and the Watcher Council really didn't get along than they didn't want to decrease the chance of this organization helping them.

"A friend of ours found the name in a book," said Willow finally, not getting into details.

Magnus saw that she didn't want to talk about it, so she let it go for now and just nodded at her explanation.

All this talk had made Xander more optimistic. Dr. Magnus knew about his species so maybe she could really help him. "Do you know anyone else like me?"

There was a silence for a minute while Magnus thought about what she should tell him. She decided that she'll tell him everything after she contacted Nikola and had a serious conversation with him about his experiments. So for now she just told him a little. "Yes, I have a friend, Nikola, who is like you, but he was supposed to be the last of his kind. Believe me, I'm going to have a serious conversation with him about that," the last part she whispered to herself.

Xander was excited. He wasn't alone. If he could talk to this Nikola, maybe he could answer some of his questions. "Could you contact him and ask him to come here? I would love to talk to him," said Xander excitedly.

"Of course. I'll contact him immediately and ask him to come here, but I don't know how long that will take. He moves around a lot and at the moment I don't exactly know where he is," she confessed.

Willow interrupted Xander excitement by asking "What about Xander's parents? Do you think you could help us with that?"

"I think so, but first I would like to contact Nikola and talk to him. I expect he knows more than I do," she answered while thinking that he probably knew more because he was the one who turned Xander into a vampire.

There was a knock on the door and in came a demon. He looked like a Sasquatch with all the hair all over his body. In his hands was a plate with tea cups. Xander and Willow were a little startled, but otherwise didn't react knowing that this place was a sanctuary for demons and Dr. Magnus probably wouldn't react kindly to them attacking her staff.

"Xander, Willow this is Big Guy, Big Guy this are Willow and Xander," Magnus introduced them.

Big Guy nodded and grumbled while Xander and Willow said hello. He came to the table and set the plate down.

"Thank you," said Magnus and took her cup.

Big Guy nodded and walked out of the room. After the door closed Magnus continued their previous conversation "This reminds me. Xander have you been experiencing any sort of cravings?" asked Magnus and sipped her tea.

"No, no cravings," answered Xander, but then continued "but I have stopped eating and once…" he stopped. Her asking him this confirmed his suspicion about blood. "I'm going to have to drink blood aren't' I?" said Xander very worried.

"No don't worry; you won't have to if you don't want to. I found a special medication for Nikola that suppresses his bloodlust so he doesn't have to drink blood. I can give it to you when the urge to drink blood starts to show."

After Xander heard that he relaxed a little. "That's one of the best news I had all day."

Magnus continued "I'm glad. For now I think it would be best if you stay here for the next few days."

"We're already staying at the hotel in the city," said Willow. She was glad that Magnus would be able to help Xander, but she didn't want to impose on her hospitality.

"It's fine. I'll have Big Guy drive you to your hotel to collect your things. I really think it would be best if you stay here. From what I have heard from you and Xander I think that his vampire side hasn't completely developed yet. But when it does, I don't think it would best for you, Xander, to be exposed to too many humans. I don't know how your bloodlust will affect you and until I am sure that the substitute works for you, I don't want to take any chances," explained Magnus. She didn't know what to expect when he completely turned. From what she had seen of Nikola's previous experiment anything could happen.

Xander thought about what she said and saw that she was probably right. "Okay."

"I'll call Big Guy then and he'll drive you. When you come back I'll have someone show you to your rooms," she said, stood up and went to the phone on her table.

She called someone, probably Big Guy, and the two friends heard her say "I'll need you to drive out two guests to their hotel so they can get their things and then drive them back… Yes… Fine, we'll meet you downstairs."

She hung up than turned to them "Shall we go then?"

Xander and Willow nodded and followed her again through the hallways to the front door. Big Guy already stood there waiting for them.

"Go with him now and he'll take you to your hotel. I'll see you later," said Magnus and walked away.

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